4.0 Maturity Acceleration | On the road to predictive production

Region:

Flanders

Financed by

Do you want to understand better how to connect machinery and use process data to improve machining processes? Within the COOCK+ project, a technical document has been developed to help companies make informed choices around data capture, monitoring and predictive applications.

Download the whitepaper (in dutch)

Machining companies on the road to predictive production

The COOCK+ project 4.0 Maturity Acceleration supports machining companies in their transition to predictive control of production processes. By combining real-time production data with theoretical prediction models, an accessible production platform is being developed that provides a live overview of the outcome of machining processes.

Context

The manufacturing industry is facing the challenge of producing in a more flexible, efficient and customer-focused way. For machining companies, this means a shift from reactive to proactive production management. Although the technology is available, there is often a lack of practical implementation examples and guidance to make this transformation happen.

Objective and results

The 4.0 Maturity Acceleration project aims to support machining companies in Flanders in their digital transformation towards a predictive and data-driven production environment. Through practical demonstrations and guidance, the project aims to demonstrate that this transition is feasible and valuable, even for smaller SMEs.

Specifically, the project has the following objectives:

to make companies aware of the potential of predictive production control;
to lower the threshold for getting started with real-time data and prediction models;
to develop a demonstration platform that shows live and tangibly how data and models go hand in hand;
identify typical machining challenges (such as deviations, waste or downtime) and proactively address them through data interpretation;
disseminate knowledge about the application of predictive technologies to a broad network of manufacturing companies;
provide technology providers with insight into how their solutions can be used in practice within the context of machining processes.

Expected results:

An operational demonstration platform, set up at Sirris and/or VIVES.
Insights and good practices compiled in practical guides, case studies and presentations.
Support programmes for companies, tailored to their level of maturity.
A stronger ecosystem in which manufacturing companies and technology providers can find each other around predictive manufacturing.

Approach

The aim of 4.0 Maturity Acceleration is to accelerate digital maturity in machining companies by giving them concrete experience of how predictive process control works and, above all, what it delivers.

Integration of physical models with production data
The starting point of the project is the linking of real-time data from the machining process with existing physical models. By combining these models with data from practice, it becomes possible to predict and optimise the machining process in real time.
Demonstration in a representative production environment
This integrated approach is put into practice in a demonstration setup with real production equipment. The setup simulates an industrial environment in which companies can observe how data acquisition and model-based control work together.
Valorisation in business applications
Companies are actively involved through case studies, where the project methodology is applied to their specific processes or products. This makes it possible to test the generic approach against realistic challenges and, at the same time, create support among companies that are considering starting predictive control themselves.
Dissemination of knowledge and guidance
Finally, the knowledge gained is made available. The emphasis here is on accessibility and practical usability: the focus is not on theory, but on the impact on the workplace.

Target group

The 4.0 Maturity Acceleration project focuses on two important target groups, each of which plays a key role in the realisation of predictive manufacturing in the machining industry: machining companies as end users and technology providers as potential creators.

Primary target group: mature machining companies in Belgium
The broad machining sector in Belgium comprises approximately 9,000 companies, 94% of which are SMEs. Within this group, the project focuses specifically on companies that are already actively seeking proven or promising improvements for their production equipment.
These are companies that:

already have experience with model-based selection of process conditions;
have taken the fundamental steps towards controlling their production process;
have sufficient absorption capacity and intrinsic motivation to take further steps towards predictive control.

Secondary target group: technology providers and supporting actors
Technology companies that offer solutions to make process data available in machining environments form the secondary target group. This includes providers of sensors, smart tools, data platforms and software for process monitoring. In Flanders, this target group comprises approximately 100 companies.